Texas Roundup: Houston’s Biotech Ecosystem, RealSavvy, Q2, Stellarray

—Austin, TX app company RealSavvy wants to help real estate agents leverage technology rather than being replaced by it. The company’s mobile app uses a Pinterest-like approach, letting buyers search home websites and “pin” those selections to a personalized board.

—In the last year, Houston’s biotech ecosystem has grown significantly, including a new accelerator and a fellowship program at the Texas Medical Center designed to convert cutting-edge research into marketable companies. One missing ingredient? A deep bench of CEOs capable of leading those companies.

—To direct its new Innovation Institute, the Texas Medical Center has hired Erik Halvorsen, a veteran of tech transfer for organizations such as Harvard University and Boston Children’s Hospital. While Houston has many attributes of a top biotech center, that story is not known well enough outside of the state, he says.

— Lynx Laboratories, an Austin-based maker of mobile 3D scanning technology, has been acquired by Occipital, a San Francisco startup founded by two University of Michigan graduates. My colleague Sarah Schmid, editor of Xconomy’s Detroit/Ann Arbor bureau, reports.

—X-ray technology has largely stayed the same since its discovery more than a century ago. Austin’s Stellarray aims to bring it into the 21st century by making it more efficient and portable.

—Q2 Holdings has made its second acquisition this year, buying a Des Moines, IA, cloud software company called Social Money. The Iowa firm targets millennial consumers as well as populations considered “underbanked,” such as minority groups or immigrants. Q2 also acquired Centrix Solutions of Lincoln, NE, in July.

—Felipe Mendoza started Aristos Ventures in Dallas to target the funding needs of technology companies looking for what he calls “micro” investments.

—Morris Miller co-founded San Antonio technology company Rackspace, and served as an advisor to Xenex, an Alamo City healthcare robotics company that uses xenon-based ultraviolet light to disinfect hospital rooms. He became so convinced in the robot’s potential, he joined the company as CEO.

Angela Shah is the editor of Xconomy Texas. She can be reached at ashah@xconomy.com or (214) 793-5763. Follow @angelashah